Guardian
by Trelithe
Summary: This takes place when Angus and Rohan are children. This is my first attempt with a Mystic Knight fic! Check author's note for more detail.


Disclaimer: I don't own Mystic Knights.  
  
Author's Note: This takes place when Angus and Rohan are children around the age of seven. This was meant to focus on the relationship between Angus and Cathad and an attempt to delve into Angus's past. The evil sorceress is not Maeve; I'll leave that up for you to decide who it could be.   
  
*****  
  
The sun was shinning brightly promising a beautiful day for the people of Kells. Angus sat upon the stone wall and watched as the town's people hurried about their business. Happily he munched on an apple that he managed to pick off a street vendor. His keen eyes searched the crowd for heavy purses. The winter snow had kept him in hiding and he was in need of filling his own purse.  
  
"I knew it couldn't be long before you would stir up some kind of trouble," a familiar voice greeted.  
  
Angus laughed. "Hi, Rohan!" he called back cheerfully. Bending over slightly he helped his friend up the wall. Rohan smiled and shrugged off the small pouch he was carrying.   
  
"Here this is for you. I managed to gather extra food for you form Cathad's place," Rohan stated. "Although, I think he knew what I was doing and purposely left extra food behind."  
  
Angus's eyes twinkled with merriment. "I knew that he cared about me, even though he would never admit it." Hungrily Angus dug into the loaf of bread and chugged down some milk that was stored in a picture. "Real food, I haven't had such a feast in months!"  
  
"So where were you holed up during that huge snow storm?" Rohan asked. "I was worried about you. I didn't think the snow would ever melt."  
  
"That's for me to know and you to find out! I am flattered that you worried about me. You should know by now that I can easily take care of myself. I know my ways about Kells," Angus cheerfully replied.  
  
Rohan laughed and shook his head. "Nothing ever seems to bother you."  
  
"When leading a life like this you got to take life lightly, otherwise life itself could destroy you," Angus simply explained.  
  
A period of silence followed as the two friends sat on the wall.  
  
"Alright I better head off. I can see Cathad approaching," Rohan stated. "Do me a favor and stay out of trouble ok?"  
  
"But I hardly cause any trouble at all. Trouble finds me!" Angus replied pretending to look hurt. His usual smile quickly returned. "Thanks for the food!"  
  
"No problem," Rohan stated and jumped off the wall and ran toward Cathad. The elderly wizard smiled and placed a caring hand on his shoulder.  
  
Silently Angus watched his friend disappear into the crowd. Angus frowned. He wondered if he would ever be lucky, as his friend of he would ever amount to anything other then a common thief. He rarely ever thought about it, not wanting to worry of such things. It satisfied him to see that Rohan was able to enjoy a better life, for Rohan did deserve a better life then living on the streets.  
  
*****  
  
Angus brushed off the breadcrumbs that gathered on his ragged red shirt. Easily he jumped down the wall and whistling joined the crowd of people coming and going. At least among the faceless crowd he seemed to fit. It was time to pay a visit to Cathad.  
  
It was rather easy getting into the druid's chambers. Angus knew all the passages in the castle. No guards could stop him. Stealthily Angus crept into the chamber and hid in an empty chest. The chamber was dimly lit with candles hanging from the chandelier that hung above the table in the center of the room, which was littered with strangely shaped bottles each filled with different colored powders. Curiously Angus climbed out of the box and approached them.  
  
Magic had always fascinated him, and his curiosity usually got the best of him. "I wonder what that druid is up to?" Angus muttered as he picked up each bottle examining them. As he reached for the last one, his elbow knocked another bottle down. The bottle shattered into thousands of pieces, spilling the powder everywhere and on to him. Coughing, Angus brushed the powder off. He looked about wondering what to do; he was defiantly going to be in trouble. Before Angus could really react, the door to the chamber was opening. Quickly, Angus dashed into the empty chest that he was originally hiding in.  
  
"Rohan, I need you to get me some more of these herbs. I ran out of them yesterday and I need more of them to continue my experiment. Hopefully this one will be able to cure the illness that's going around," Cathad's voice said.  
  
"I'll see if I can find any, Cathad, but there weren't too many from the start. The snow storm killed most of them off," Rohan replied. Taking the basket, that the druid handed him, Rohan dashed off.  
  
After Rohan had run off only then did Cathad notice the small disaster. "ANGUS!" he angrily roared as, he bent over the spelt powder. "How many times have I told you not to enter this chamber nor touch my equipment?" The druid turned around and bending over the chest where Angus was, picked up the seven year old.   
  
"I didn't touch it, honest! I was here the entire time!" Angus sputtered as he struggled to free himself from the druid's grasp.   
  
"I know when you're lying, Angus. There is blood on your fingers from when your dropped the bottle and I see some powder on your shirt," Cathad pointed out in a tone of not one at all happy. The druid then gently placed Angus in a chair and attended to the wound. "If I ever catch you in this chamber again, I'll have you placed behind bars myself!"  
  
Although angry, Cathad became at once concerned as the young thief collapsed in his arms unconscious. Immediately Cathad began to examine him, trying to find some kind of reason behind this. The boy's skin seemed as if it were on fire to the druid's touch. By barely even touching him left bruises. At the same time Angus's pulse was rapidly becoming weaker. Cathad frowned. He carried the limp figure and placed him on his bed. He then rushed to grab a bowl of cold water and rag, hoping to bring the fever down.  
  
As he attended to the boy, he pondered over what may have caused this sudden illness. It had to be the powder, that much Cathad knew, but the powder that Angus had spelt wasn't a deadly powder, not when used in small doses. It was usually used to help cure common illness like the cold or flu. Angus's musings not only disrupted his experiment, but also may have caused him his own death.   
  
Believing that Angus had somehow received a large amount of this powder, Cathad went to work on putting together the cure for it. It was only a matter of getting this done on time. Normally this wouldn't be a problem if this had happened to an adult, but being at a young age, Angus's immune system was unable to fully fight against it. It was too much of a shock for him.  
  
"I was lucky, Cathad, that I was able to find some more of those herbs," Rohan greeted. "I think it's going to snow again too. It's getting cold again. I am getting tired of the snow. I wish spring would hurry up."   
  
Unknown to what had recently happened, Rohan continued chattering as he placed the basket down and attended to preparing the herbs. Only then did he notice how quiet everything was. "What's wrong, Cathad?" Rohan asked and gasped. "Angus! What happened?" Dropping the herbs the young boy rushed over.   
  
"I'm already taking care of the situation, Rohan, don't worry, Angus will be alright. I managed to stop this in time. Apparently your friend was playing with my experiment and ended up becoming close to death. He should be fine now, his fever is down and his pulse is back to normal. By morning he shall be completely fine, save for being exhausted," Cathad explained in a calm tone.  
  
Rohan sighed with relief. "I told Angus not to get into any trouble," he simply stated. I am just glad that you were able to help out in time. Funny how you complain about him a lot and yet you care for him just as you care for me."  
  
Cathad snorted. "Your friend is nothing, but trouble and a bad influence for you, Rohan. I better not see him in this chamber again, if you don't wish to see your friend behind bars. Now go and prepare those herbs for me!"  
Laughing, Rohan turned his attention to the herbs, before Cathad could find another reason to complain.  
  
Through the night Cathad constantly checked on Angus. He hoped that his theory was right that Angus would be fine by the next morning, but one can never tell. The seven year old tossed and turned in the bed. Tears slid down his face as he softly cried out for his father. Sadly Cathad shook his head. No matter how much Angus managed to annoy him, he cared for the boy like a father just as he did for Rohan.   
  
*****  
  
Unlike Rohan, Angus still had a father. It was rare that his father was in Kells, for he was forever off on some mission, being soldier of Kells. He was one of the most trusted soldiers and a good friend of Connorhead. His father was a legendary hero of Kells, whom people had looked up to.  
  
Yet, people aren't perfect, not even the best, for all make mistakes. On his journey the warrior had fallen in love only to find out that his lover was an evil sorceress. He later found out that he had fathered her child. To make up for his mistake he had taken the child back with him, as to prevent more evil from growing in the lands. Yet, he had no feelings for the child, believing the child to be a drastic mistake. The warrior kept the child in secret, not even letting the King Conchobar know.   
  
Desperate, the warrior went up to Cathad and revealed his secret. Reluctantly, Cathad agreed to keep an eye out on the child, yet pointed out that he must be the one to raise the child. Over the years Cathad watched the pair with dismay. While the warrior was kind and loving to his people he hardly acknowledged his son, who seemed to look up at him with reverence and wanted nothing more then some kind of attention from him.   
  
When the warrior took off on his missions Cathad would watch over the child, who had grown to become an independent child learning to live on the streets. Always the child could be seeing waiting on the stone wall looking for his father on his return. It had been over a year since he had returned to Kells and rarely the child would visit the wall looking for his father with a hopeful look.   
  
*****  
  
Cathad sighed as he studied Angus's tear stained face. Gently he wiped the face with a cool rag. After a while the boy relaxed and continued to sleep. Slowly the sun had begun to rise. It's bright light fell upon Cathad, waking him up from his doze. He looked up to see Angus staring up at him.  
  
"I'm hungry," he commented.  
  
Cathad couldn't help but to laugh. "You never do realize what goes on around you, Angus. You're quite lucky to be alive after the trouble you caused last night."  
  
"I didn't cause any trouble!" Angus quickly pointed out. "It was an accident!"  
  
"An accident that wouldn't have happened if you stayed away from my stuff! That accident almost killed you!" Cathad replied in a stern voice.  
  
"And you took care of me despite the trouble I caused?" Angus replied in a tiny voice.  
  
The comment surprised Cathad and he looked down and the puzzled boy. "Yes, Angus. It's what one does when one cares for someone."  
  
Angus laughed. "I always knew that you cared about me!"  
  
"It still doesn't mean you can tamper with my experiments and supplies!"  
  
"Angus, you're alright just like Cathad said you would!" Rohan greeted as he climbed down from the top bunk. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it over the night! You should see all the snow out there!"  
  
"Oh the fun we can have," Angus replied with a mischievous grin.  
  
"Don't even think about it, Angus, you aren't going anywhere today," Cathad sternly pointed out.  
  
"Before the end of the day you'll have Angus out of the hut after once you get tired of all the trouble he'll cause," Rohan stated.  
  
"Out, both of you!" Cathad replied in a frustrated voice. 


End file.
